Gedankenfreiheit literally means “freedom of thought”, this idea was embodied by Friedrich Schiller in his plays. Sindelfingen is a town outside Stuttgart. The town is famous for the enormous Mercedes Benz factory that dominates it. The performance was part of a show called “Liberalis” which Nikhil Chopra interpreted as “the expression of freedom”. Curated by Kunst + Projecte the group show was hosted by Galerie der Stadt Sindelfingen in the middle of the historic town square.

The performance starts with Chopra’s persona dressed in a stiff paper military uniform that falls apart with the first few hours of the performance to reveal him wearing pink underwear. The drawing on the wall is from an old print depicting a fantastical interpretation of the fort at Hohenasperg located in Baden-Württemberg near Stuttgart. This ancient fort had lived most of its life as a prison, including a transit camp for the Nazis. Schiller too did time here.

The next day of the performance Chopra dressed as what Sabine refered to as “Sweetie” the blond couner part to the fallen army general. By the end of the performance Sweetie falls apart and Chopra exits the performance naked after having shed all his personae.